The Chechen Wars: Responses in Russia and the United States

Within five years of the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, ethnic conflicts spilled throughout its territory, most of them in the Russian Federation. An analysis of scope and intensity of a conflict with one of Russia’s two hundred ethnic minorities is the focus of this book. The conflict in Chechnya erupted into two full-scale wars, fought during the decade of Russia’s turbulent transition from communism toward democracy. Using a variety of sources–governmental documents, monographs, diaries of military and political leaders, reports, and contemporary periodicals–the author examines the roots of the conflict and responses to the wars from the media, political parties, and diplomatic circles in Russia and the United States. The Chechen wars have demonstrated the limits of the concept of self-determination for an abused minority population. The military operation in Chechnya has eroded Russian democracy and strengthened those within the military and security forces who call for a return to the old ways. For many in today’s Russian elite, the restoration of the lost Soviet empire might be the ultimate objective. The developments in the future deserve the world's attention.